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Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has invited Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to visit Bangladesh at a convenient time.
He extended this invitation on Saturday (June 6) when Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan paid a courtesy call on the Prime Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office in Tejgaon, Dhaka.
During the meeting, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman thanked Hakan Fidan for his visit to Bangladesh. At this time, the Turkish Foreign Minister conveyed President Erdogan’s greetings to the Prime Minister.
Hakan Fidan stated that his visit is the first step towards elevating Bangladesh-Turkey relations to a strategic partnership. To this end, both countries have agreed to hold annual Foreign Office Consultations at the Foreign Minister level.
Furthermore, it has been decided to hold annual ‘Two Plus Two’ (2+2) consultation meetings involving the Foreign and Defense Ministers of both countries. To further strengthen political, economic, and strategic cooperation, a joint consultation framework will also be formed under the Foreign Ministers of both countries, with the participation of relevant ministries.
Various aspects of bilateral relations were reviewed during the meeting. Discussions particularly focused on the Rohingya crisis, climate change, trade and investment, joint production, and various regional and international issues of mutual interest.
Present on behalf of Bangladesh were Foreign Minister Dr. Khalilur Rahman, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaid, and the Prime Minister’s Foreign Affairs Advisor Humayun Kabir.